Most writers learn about hooks in the narrowest possible way. At some point, usually in a Google search result or in a YouTube video, someone tells you a hook is the first line of your novel. The opening sentence. The thing that grabs attention before a reader puts the book down. That definition is correct.…

Imagine waking up with zero memories. Total amnesia. That’s Wuchang’s whole deal in Wuchang: Fallen Feathers, the game I hacked my way through a couple of months ago. No context, no tutorial lore dump, just… you wake up and good luck. That’s how most stories start for us too. We crack open a book, hit…

Miscommunication is as old as time. We can trace it all the way back to Adam and Eve, when Eve was enticed by the serpent and ate the fruit she was told not to. Serpent: Did God really say you can’t eat from any tree?Eve: We can eat fruit. Just not from the one in…

We get it. Writing parents can be a pain. You’re juggling a cast of characters, world-building, plot twists, subplots—and then here come the parents, needing attention. It’s so tempting to k*ll them off (or ship them abroad) and get on with it. But let’s face it: this shortcut has turned into a tired, predictable trope…